A 20-year-old woman has died after the "Boris bike" she was riding was in collision with a lorry.

The accident happened in Whitechapel High Street in east London on Friday evening.

Transport for London said it was the first fatality involving one of the hire bikes launched by the London mayor, Boris Johnson, in 2010.

Leon Daniels, TfL's managing director of surface transport, said: "Our thoughts go out to the friends and family of the female cyclist who tragically died … following a collision with a heavy goods vehicle on Whitechapel High Street.

"TfL has a range of measures already under way to further reduce the number of collisions involving cyclists across London and we will be assisting the Metropolitan police with their investigation into this tragic incident."

The accident is believed to have occurred on Cycle Superhighway 2 outside Aldgate East underground station. The Barclays cycle routes run from outer London to the centre and are designed to provide "safer, faster and more direct journeys into the city", according to TfL.

Four have been opened so far, with a further eight to be introduced by 2015.